Rail joint splice



June 30, 1942. c. 1.. FERQ 2,287,871

RAIL JOINT SPLICE Filed Oct. 9, 1939 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTQR. CMxuAn. F

' Q-mug ATTORNEY June 30, 1942. c. FERO 2,287,871

RAIL JOINT SPLICE Filed 001:. 9, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR C Faro BY WQYQ ATTORNEY June 30, 1942. v FERQ 2,287,871

. RAIL JOINT SPLICE Filed Oct. 9, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 BY IV nxo v ATTORNEY,

Patented June 30, 1942 r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAIL JOINT SPLICE Claude L. Fero, Malden, Mass. Application October 9, 1939, Serial No. 298,581

'7 Claims.

The present invention relates to rail joints and more particularly provides a novel splice bar for use in joining the ends of contiguous rails and a novel method of reconditioning old joints.

Rail joints are commonly formed by bolting together a pair of splice bars which cross the joint on opposite sides of the abutting rails. Such splice bars are usually formed with a head and base connected by a vertical web. Two principal forms of such bars are now in use, one having its head shaped to engage only the fillet portion of the rail head where the rail web merges with the under side of the rail head and known as the head free form, and the other having its head formed with a bearing surface shaped to abut a substantial part of the under surface of the rail head outside the fillet and known as the head contact form.

In use splice bars of either sort are subjected to severe wear, particularly at the bearing surface of the splice bar head which abuts the rail head at or outside the fillet as the case may be. To a limited extent this wear can be compensated for by tightening the attaching bolts to restore firm abutment between the rail and bar but such compensating adjustment is of little use with a head free bar and in a head contact bar is necessarily limited by the takeup that can be efiected before the bar abuts the web or fillet of the rail. When the compensating adjustment has reached its limit, the bars are either discarded or are subjected to an expensive welding operation to build up their worn surfaces. The use of shims ofvarious sorts has been suggested, but found unsatisfactory for many reasons, chiefly because of the many limitations in the expedients devised for securing them in place.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel splice bar embodying a renewable bearing member or members which by occasional replacement greatly extend the useful life of the bar to effect a considerable saving in rail joint maina tenance. A further object is to provide'a method of reconstructing worn bars to condition them for further use and to enable them thereafter to be quickly and cheaply renewed when Worn.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following more particular description thereof in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a rail joint embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the near end of the rail as viewed in Fig. 1;

' adapted to withstand wear.

Figs. 3 and'4 are vertical sections showing two modifications of my invention;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation view of a splice bar showing afurther modification, and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section showing my invention as embodied in the head free type of joint.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a joint uniting the abutting ends of rails 2 and 4'. Each rail has a head 6, a web 8 and a base having side flanges Ill and E2. The rails are secured together by opposite splice bars I l and I6 which are preferably identical in construction. As is conventional, the rails and splice bars at the joint are supported on plates 29 which the ties 22 may be recessed to receive. The rails are secured to the ties 22 by conventitonal spikes 28 passing through the supporting plates 20 and having heads which clamp the bases 29 of the splice. bars onto the flanges It) and i2 of the rail bases.

The splice bars are composed of heads l5 (see also Fig. 2) Webs 26' and the aforesaid bases 29. The bars are formed on" the outside of their heads with strengthening reenforcin'g ribs 30 and the upper surface. of the bar where the rib joins the head is concaved slightly as indicated at 32 in Fig. 2 to assure clearance between the bar and the flange of the wheel. The bars are fastened securely against the opposite sidesof the rails by bolts 34, 36, 38 and 40; each of which passes through "aligned holes 42 and in the joint bars and 46 in the web of the rail. The bolts are tightene'd' by nuts 50. The upper surface 52 of the head of each joint bar'is recessed as at 54 to receive a bearing member 56 of hard metal The upper surface 58 of the member 56 is not flush with the upper surface 52 of the head of the splice bar, but projects above it at 51 a suitable distance, such as an eighth of an inch or so, and the adjacent surfaces 69 and 6| of the splice bar head and rail are spaced so that as the bearing surface of the member 55' wears down, the wear can-be compensated for by-tigh-tening the nuts causing the heads and the bases of the bars to advance toward the web of the rail. The limit of this adjusting movement occurs when the inner edge of the heads on each bar contacts the nearest part of the rail, usuallythe fillet. The portion 51 of the bearing member projects suiiiciently so that at the limit of this adjustment. there will still be a slight but appreciable portion of the bearing member projecting above the splice bar head, and in that manner I insure that no wear occu-rs on the upperface 52 of the splice bar even under extreme conditions of wear compensating adjustment.

When this limit of wear compensation has been reached the bars are removed and new bearing members 56 are substituted for the worn ones.

The bearing members are secured against lengthwise movement in the recesses 54 during use by being extended beyond the ends of the recesses and being turned down at their protruding ends as shown at 84 in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the recesses 54 are arcuate in cross section and the portions of the members 56 received in them are correspondingly rounded. This shape is particularly advantageous because it permits automatic adjustment of the inclination of the bearing face 58 of the bearing member to the inclination of the under surface of the rail head. It will be apparent that the adjustment of the bearing member to proper position will be automatically effected not only upon installation,

but also, if required, when the bar is taken up to compensate for wear.

While the particular shape for the bearing member and its recess shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is therefore advantageous, it is by no means essential. In Fig. 3 I have shown a modified construction in which the bearing members 56a are rectangular in cross section and are received in correspondingly shaped recesses in the heads of the bars. which the sides 10 and 12 of the bearing members 58b converge downwardly as do the sides of the bar receiving recesses. While in these modified embodiments the bearing members are not automatically adjustable, they have been found otherwise substantially as satisfactory as those of the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The construction of Fig. 4 affords the same area of bearing surface between rail and bearing member as that of Fig. 3 but with stronger recess side walls and is preferable for lighter bars.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown bearing members provided only in the heads of the bars. While most of the wear on a splice bar takes place at the bearing between bar head and rail head, some wear also occurs at the surface of the bar base which rests on the base of the rail. To permit renewal of this surface, I may, as shown in Fig. 3, provide additional bearing members 14 received in corresponding recesses 16 in the under surface of the bases 29 of the bars, the members 14 being located to rest on the side flanges l and [2 of the rail base when the bars are fastened to the rails as above described. The members 14 preferably project slightly below the under surfaces of the bases 29 so that the under surfaces of the bar bases 29 are not in wearing contact with the rail and as wear takes place on the members 14 compensating adjustment of the bar bases 29 toward the rail web may be effected by tightening the nuts 50. The members 14 may be secured longitudinally in the recesses by turning back their ends in similar fashion to the head bearing members and on becoming worn may be removed and replaced in like manner. The shape of the members 14 and recesses 16 is shown as rectangular in cross section similar to the head bearing members 55a and their recesses but obviously other shapes may be employed, such as those of the head bearing members and recesses shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

In Fig. I have shown a further modification, using any one of the head bearing members and recesses described above, but in. which the projecting portion 5| of the bearing member is var- Fig. 4 shows a further modification in 1 ied lengthwise of the splice bar. Thus, instead of employing a continuous bearing member extending the length of the splice bar, I use three sections 18, and 82 with the section 80 placed midway of the length of the bar to support the abutting ends of the rails 2 and 4 and with the sections 18 and 82 disposed at the ends of the splice bar. These sections 18, 80 and B2 are received in separated recesses 84, 8G and 88 of corresponding size and shape in the bar head. The projecting portion 51a of central member 80 is made higher than projecting portions 51b and 510 of members 18 and 82, which may be of the same height, and in that way my splice bar is provided with the greatest thickness of wear resisting material at the abutting ends of the rail where the wear is greatest.

Each of the embodiments of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 constitutes a head contact joint, as the bearing member engages the under surface of the rail head outside the fillet. Some railroads prefer joints of the head free type and the embodiment of my invention shown in Fig. 6 fills that need. In that type the splice bars I00 and I02 are formed with recesses I04 in their heads directly opposite the fillets I08 of the rail head. In the recesses are the bearing members I08. In the embodiment illustrated I have employed bearing members that are circular in cross section and have a radius equal to that of the curve of the fillets. The recesses are conformingly curved.

My invention also affords a ready method of restoring old worn splice bars that have been discarded. In accordance with my method a worn bar can be inexpensively but effectively renewed by cutting a recess in the head of the bar and then inserting a bearing member in accordance with any of the above described embodiments. After a worn bar has thus been renewed, subsequent wear can first be compensated for by adjusting the bolts to tighten the bars against the rails and when the limit of adjustment has been reached a new bearing member may be substituted for the worn one at low cost. A feature of my invention which has found favor in practice is that when repairing a badly worn joint I am able not only to provide a new bearing surface for the splice bar, but to utilize the unworn portion of the under surface of the rail head. For the latter purpose when restoring a head free joint, I convert it to a head contact joint and vice versa. joint in which the rail has become worn at the fillet, I preferably use a construction such as shown in Figs. 2, 3 or 4, so that contact is now made on the unused surface of the rail head re mote from the worn fillet. Similarly, if the worn joint was of the head contact type I should use a construction of the type illustrated in Fig. 6 so that the bearing member now abuts the fillet of the rail which has not theretofore received any wear.

The principle of my invention which has now been explained may, of course, be embodied in forms other than those specifically described above, and my invention is to be limited only as the appended claims require. Although I have consistently shown the splice bar base terminating at the edge engaged by the spikes 28, it is, of course, to be understood that my invention can be embodied in other types of bar including the so-called continuous bar in which the base turns under and embraces the under side of the base of the rail.

Thus, when repairing a worn head free I claim:

1. A rail joint splice bar having a head, a web and a base, a recess in the inner round of the head and a bearing member seated in said recess and having an exposed surface adapted to abut against substantially only the fillet of the rail, said recess and member having conforming cross sections.

2. In a rail joint, the combination of a pair of rails joined end to end, each rail having a head, a web and a base, a pair of metal splice bars extending along opposite sides of the webs of the rails between the under surface of the rail heads and the upper surface of the rail bases and across the joint between the rails, each bar having head and base members and an intervening Web, a longitudinal recess of constant cross section in said head member, a bearing member of constant cross section seated in said recess and held thereby against lateral movement, said bearing member having at least substantially half its depth embedded within said recess and having a projecting portion provided with a bearing face abutting the under surface of the adjacent side of the rail head, the portion of said bearing member received within said recess being shaped to fit the recess tightly and abut the metal of said head member forming the Walls of said recess, and bolts holding the bars against the rails to secure the rails together.

3. In a rail joint, the combination of a pair of rails joined end to end, each rail having a head, a web and a base, a pair of metal splice bars extending along opposite sides of the webs of the rails between the under surface of the rail heads and the upper surface of the rail bases and across the joint between the rails, each bar having head and base members and an intervening web, spaced metal abutment members on said head member forming the sides of a recess of constant cross section, a bearing member of constant cross section seated between said abutment members and held thereby against lateral movement, said bearing member having at least half its depth received between said abutment members and having the projecting portion provided with a bearing face abutting against the under surface of the adjacent side of the rail head, the portion of said bearing member received between said abutment members shaped to tightly engage the opposed faces of said abutment members, and bolts holding the bars against the rails to secure the rails together.

4. In a rail joint, the combination of a, pair of rails joined end to end, each rail having a head, a web and a base, a pair of metal splice bars extending along opposite sides of the webs of the rails between the under surface of the rail heads and the upper surface of the rail bases and across the joint between the rails, each bar having a web provided with head and base members fitting closely between the head and base of the rail, a recess of constant cross section in said head member, a bearing member of constant cross section seated in said recess and held thereby against lateral movement, a bearing face on said bearing member abuttin against the under surface of the adjacent side of the rail head, said bearing member being substantially narrower than said head member, the portion of said bearing member received within said recess being shaped to tightly abut the metal of said head forming the Walls of said recess, and bolts holding the bars against the rails to secure the rails together.

5. A rail joint splice bar adapted to be secured between the under surface of the head and the upper surface of the base of adjoining rail ends and across the joint between them and comprising head and base members and an intervening web, a recess of constant cross section in said head member, a bearing member of constant cross section seated in said recess and held thereby against lateral movement, a bearing face on said bearing member adapted to abut against the under surface of the rail head when the bar is fastened to the rail, said bearing member being substantially narrower than said head member and having at least substantially half its depth embedded within said recess, the portion of said bearing member received within said recess being shaped to tightly abut the metal of said head member formin the walls of said recess.

6. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails adjoining each other end to end, each made of a head, a base and an intervening web, metal splice bars extending across the rail joint along opposite sides of said web, each splice bar having an integral head member, a base member and an intervening web member, a groove of uniform cross section, of predetermined depth and of a width less than the width of said splice bar head member, extending longitudinally of the splice bar head member, a bearing member in the form of a strip of uniform cross section, of a width approximating the width of said groove and of a depth exceeding the depth of said groove, received in the groove with its under surface abutting the bottom of the groove and with its upper surface protruding above the upper surface of the splice bar head member, the said groove and strip being so positioned relative to the splice bar and rail head that the protruding surface of the strip engages the under surface of the rail head outside the fillet, and bolts securing said splice bars with bearin members along opposite sides of the adjoining rail webs by passing through aligned holes in the webs of the rails and the web members of the bars.

7. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails adjoining each other end to end, each made of a head, a base and an intervening web, metal splice bars extending across the rail joint along opposite sides of said web, each splice bar having an integral head member, a base member and an intervening web member, a groove of uniform cross section, of predetermined depth, of a width less than the width of said splice bar head member, and having a bottom surface which extends parallel to the under surface of the rail head, extending longitudinally of the splice bar head member, a bearing member in the form of a strip of uniform cross section of a width approximating the width of said groove and of a, depth exceeding the depth of said groove, received in the groove with its under surface abutting the bottom of the groove and with its upper surface protruding above the upper surface of the splice bar head member, the said groove and strip being so positioned relative to the splice bar and rail head that the protruding surface of the strip engages the under surface of the rail head and bolts securing said splice bars with bearing members along opposite sides of the adjoining rail webs by passing through aligned holes in the webs of the rails and the web members of the bars.

CLAUDE L. FERO. 

